Digital and technology standards in schools

Overview

As digital technology becomes increasingly central to the operations of educational institutions, meeting digital and technology standards in schools is now a key priority.

Ensuring systems are secure, reliable, and well managed is essential to supporting both education delivery and safeguarding responsibilities.

To support this, the Department for Education (DfE) has published guidance titled Meeting Digital and Technology Standards in Schools and Colleges.

This guidance offers a good practice framework to help educational institutions develop effective, secure digital infrastructure, while supporting compliance with legal and safeguarding requirements.

What are the digital and technology standards?

The DfE standards set out recommended benchmarks across several areas of technology provision, including:

• broadband internet
• wireless network
• network switching
• digital leadership and governance
• filtering and monitoring
• cyber security

The guidance also covers wider areas such as devices, cloud solutions, accessibility, and IT support.

Together, these standards help educational institutions create safe, resilient, and sustainable digital environments that support both educational and operational needs.

Why cyber security matters

Educational institutions hold significant amounts of sensitive data relating to pupils, staff, and families. They also rely heavily on digital systems for daily operations. As a result, cyber risks increasingly threaten the education sector.

The DfE’s cyber security core standards set out key measures to reduce risk and protect systems, including:

• Risk management and oversight:

Legislation compliance to include the Data Protection Act; understanding cyber risks and ensure appropriate leadership oversight, with clear accountability for managing those risks.

• Security and protection:

Securely configure and protect devices and systems, and monitor them regularly.

• Access control:

Access to systems and data should be limited to those who need it, with appropriate controls in place.

• Updates:

Keeping software and systems up to date.

• Backup and recovery:

Maintaining backups and having plans in place to restore systems if an incident takes place.

• Building a culture of cyber awareness and incident response:

Providing regular training, alongside clear processes to identify, respond to, and recover from cyber incidents.

Next steps for meeting DfE digital standards

The DfE standards are intended to help educational institutions assess their current provision and plan improvements over time; strengthening cyber resilience, supporting compliance with legal and safeguarding obligations, and ensuring continuity of education

The DfE has a helpful tool whereby educational institutions can find out how they can plan and use digital technology effectively, by completing a self assessment to get recommendations to help meet the digital and technology standards and track progress against the recommendations they receive.

The Meeting Digital and Technology Standards guidance from the Department for Education provides a clear and practical foundation for education institutions navigating an increasingly digital landscape.

Get support

We support schools in reviewing their digital infrastructure and cyber security, helping them align with DfE guidance where needed.

To learn more about this, contact our Education Team for tailored advice and practical support.